Are you an outstanding youth volunteer? Do you care for an elderly neighbour or raise money for charity? Have you travelled to the developing world on a charitable mission? Do you volunteer in your local community? If so, we want to hear from you!

The fifth annual Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards – the only programme of its kind on the island of Ireland launches this week. All second-level students who volunteer in their community, at school or abroad are encouraged to apply.

Pramerica Spirit of Community is sponsored by Donegal-based Pramerica Systems Ireland in partnership with the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) and the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI), ensuring that the programme reaches every school on the island.

Post-primary students are invited to submit applications to their school principal by the 22nd of October 2010. Principals will review the applications and nominate one student in the junior category, aged up to 16, and one student in the senior category, aged 17 to 19, to represent their school. Nominations from each school must be submitted no later than the 12th of November 2010. In February 2011, 20 Finalists will be selected. Each will receive a certificate of merit, €500, an engraved silver medallion and an invitation to the Gala Awards dinner to be held in Galway on the 29th of March. Two All-Ireland Youth Volunteers of the Year will be selected at the awards dinner. Each will receive €1000 for a charity of their choice, a gold medallion and an all-expenses paid trip to the United States to attend the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards ceremony.

The application form and further information on the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards programme can be downloaded from www.pramerica.ie/spirit

The programme has honoured 75 outstanding students from 57 schools across Ireland since its inception in 2006.

“Launched in 2006 the programme seeks young people who are involved in community service and voluntary activities,” said Henry McGarvey, Managing Director at Pramerica. “We’re delighted to celebrate five years of youth volunteerism in Ireland and we continue to be inspired by their initiatives and selflessness every year.”

Click here to browse our photo and video gallery of recent winners

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The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards programme is modelled on The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, which was created in 1995 in the United States by Pramerica’s parent, Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI)*. Since then, more than 250,000 young Americans have participated in the programme and nearly 90,000 of them have won awards. The programme has been widely praised by educators, government officials, parents and community leaders, and has involved many notable Americans, including former President Jimmy Carter, former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell (ret.), former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former First Lady Laura Bush, former U.S. senator and astronaut John Glenn, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, sports superstar Magic Johnson, actor Richard Dreyfuss and actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg. PFI has introduced the programme in other countries where it has a significant business presence, including Japan in 1997, South Korea in 1999, Taiwan in 2000 and Ireland in 2006.

Pramerica Systems Ireland, located in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, began operations in 2000 and now has more than 700 employees. It provides essential computer-technology and client-contact services to PFI businesses around the world. Its Information Technology Group develops software and other systems solutions for PFI’s business groups and its Operations Group functions as a back-office contact centre for PFI business groups across the world.

NAPD represents principals and deputy principals in the Republic of Ireland at post-primary level. The association aims to provide a united voice for principals and deputy principals. GTCNI is an independent, self-regulatory body established to represent the professional interests of teachers in Northern Ireland.

* Prudential Financial is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential plc, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom.